Murda Muzik

Perhaps this would have been better named Murda Muzak. With their fourth album, the third since their seminal The Infamous, Mobb Deep recycle themselves to the point of self-parody. How much slower and darker can your grooves get? How many rhymes about cash, crime, and hoes can you write? How many albums can Raekwon and Nas cameo on? There are moments that will shake you out of the soporific slumber: "Adrenaline" with its pounding drum track, and the slick, sliding bass line on "The Realest," featuring a cameo from Kool G Rap. However, during Mobb Deep's hiatus between Hell On Earth and Murda Muzik, artists like DMX, the Ruff Ryders, and Ja Rule filled the vacuum left by the Mobb's crime stories. To keep up, Havoc and Prodigy are going to have to get Deep(er) than the thugged-out "Quiet Storm" they present here. --Oliver Wang